So, you’ve survived the writing process, and now you’re embarking on the equally daunting process of publication. The next question you will probably be asking yourself is what publishing route you want to take: traditional, self-, hybrid or vanity publishing. This blog intends to lay out what each type of publishing is and how they function.
Types of Publishing
Traditional Publishing
If you decide to go down the traditional publishing route, you will sell your manuscript to a publishing company, which will then prepare your manuscript for publication and help you with the editing and marketing (although you will still need to do most of the marketing yourself). The bigger publishers will pay the author an advance (this varies between publishers) and, once they’ve made this money back, they will start paying the author royalties. Authors typically receive royalties of under 10%. Most of the bigger and mid-sized publishers will only accept manuscripts from agents, so you need to consider this step too. Agents usually take 20–30% of profits once you have sold your book. With traditional publishing, you get the expertise of a publishing house behind you, but it does mean you will not make as much per book as you would self-publishing.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing has become increasingly popular over the past 10 years because it gives writers more creative control over their work. While traditional publishing is a collaborative approach, you will not have as much control as you would if you self-publish (when you make all the decisions yourself). You don’t have access to the same expertise that you would at a publishing house, and you will have to foot all the costs upfront (but the average royalty rate for self-publishing is around 70%). The time-to-market is faster with self-publishing than with traditional publishing, so you can begin to recoup your money quicker. With the technology getting easier and easier to master, it’s no wonder that so many authors are choosing this publishing route.
Hybrid Publishing
Hybrid publishing mixes elements of traditional and self-publishing. They function like traditional publishers, in that they have often editorial and marketing departments, but the author pays them for these services. This is not the same as paying an editor or a marketing expert to help you; you are essentially paying a publishing company to publish your book. You still have to submit your manuscript for consideration, but you can apply without an agent. Hybrid publishing is a somewhat controversial topic in the writing community because many feel that they’re wolves in sheep’s clothing, or a scam masquerading as a legit opportunity. The problem with hybrid publishing is that it is unregulated and looks a lot like vanity publishing, and that is something you should avoid at all costs.
Vanity Publishing
Vanity publishing used to be the term used for self-publishing, but it has now come to define a type of publishing where anyone can pay to have a book published. They do no quality checks. I’d love to say, ‘If you have the money to pay them, they’ll publish your book’, but that doesn’t always happen. There have been instances where an author has paid such a company to publish their book and then never heard from that publisher again. Vanity publishers don’t care if your book sells because they’ve already made their profit. It’s difficult to tell hybrid and vanity publishers apart without a lot of research; after all, vanity publishers won’t openly admit they might take your money and run. So, do your research (and lots of it).
Conclusion
Choosing what type of publishing route you want to go down is challenging and confusing. The article above has outlined the different types of publishing and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. You should obviously avoid vanity publishing, but then you have to decide between traditional, self- and hybrid publishing. Take your time to research what option is best for you, and don’t settle for less than you deserve.
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